Coasting-sled.



C. T. ROGERS.

COASTING SLED.

APPLICATION FILED snrmp, 1910.

, Patented May 30, 1911.

f 95 flu 14 13 I w z? 1 CLARENCE '1. ROGERS, OF NEW YORK, N' Y.

COASTING-SLED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

, Application filed September 6, 1910. Serial No. 580,782.

Patented May 30, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE T. Roe-Ens, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new andv useful Improvement in Coasting-Sleds, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. v I

My invention relates to improvements in sleds, and the object of my invention is to produce a simple sled which can be easily controlled and steered, and which will be very much faster than the sleds generally used.

Usually coasting sleds are provided with two parallel runners, and consequently have considerable friction on the snow or ice, but in my invention I use two runners after the sled has attained sufiicient velocity, and instead of placing these side by side, I employ short runners which aline longitudinally under the center of the sled, the rear one being arranged so that it can be raised and lowered in relation to the top of the sled, and the forward one swiveling easily and serving as a steering runner. These runners aliningias they do, have very little friction, andthe sled runs rapidly and easily over the snow or ice. I find that I get the same advantage that a bicycle has over a four wheeled vehicle, and on the same principle .I find that when the sled is in motion it is easily balanced and controlled. In order to prevent the sled from tipping when it is going slowly, and-to enable it to be easily drawn up hill, I provide two side runners which will touch the ground when the center runner is raised up out of contact with the ground.

The objectof my invention is to produce a sled which may ordinarily run upon three runners, but which when suflicient velocity is attained, a fourth runner maybe instantly thrown down and thus enable the sled to run upon two alinin runners.

Reference is to be had to t e accompanying drawings forming a part of this speci- I prefer to maintain generally the style of low flat construction. It has a top 10 and side frames 11, and is provided with the usual cross braces 12, 12 and 12, as in an ordinary sled. A king bolt or pivot 13 extends through the center of the cross bar 12 and is rigidly connected with the runner 14. The sled has two side runners 15 rigidly secured to the side frames 11 near the back part of the sled. Midway between the runners 15 and parallel therewith, I provide a fourth runner'15". This runner 15 is connected at either end to the cross braces 12 by links 16. The links 16 are preferably in pairs and are pivotally secured at 17 to the lower surface of the braces 12 and to the runner 15 by bolts 18.

Connected to the front end of the runner 15" is a rod'19 having a bifurcated end 19 as shown in Fig. 4. The other end of the rod 19 is connected to a cross bar 20 by a hinge21. to the sides of the sled, but is movable in relation thereto and is rigidly connected at each end to rods 22 which extend forward along the sides of the sled above the cross bar 12 and under the cross bar 12, and are rigidly connected at their outer ends to the movable bar 23 which extends beyond the sides of the sled to form foot rests24. The runner 15 is not as high as the runners 15, and when in the position shown in Fig. 3 its lower edge is above the plane of the lower edges of the runners 15 and it will not touch the ground. When, however, the bar 23 is pushed forward it will carrywith it the rods 22 and the bar 20, which in turn by means of the rod 19 will pull the runner 15 forward and downward so that the bottom of the runner 15*.will then be below the bottom of the runners 15. It will be understood The cross bar-20 is not connected that other suitable manual or pedal mechanism can be substituted for throwing the runner 15 into and out of operation without affecting the principle of the invention.

Any suitable means may be provided forof low, flat construction, and one in which the operator can at will change from a sled runnmg upon three runners to one running upon two alining runners. It is apparent that it will require a little skill to maintain the balance to operate the sled successfully, just as it requires a certain amount of skill to ride a bicycle, but when the sled is under way it easily balances andruns smoothly and without undue friction so that great speed is attained.

I claim 1. A coasting sled comprising. a frame, and two alining runners secured to the frame, one of the runners being turnable and the other movable up and down in relation to the frame.

2. A coasting sled comprising a frame, longitudinally alining runners secured to the frame and equally distant from the sides thereof, auxiliary side runners rigidly secured to the frame near the rear part thereof, and. means for lowering and raising one of the alining runners in relation to the side runners.

3. A coasting sled comprising a frame,

two side runners rigidly secured to the frame, a third runner supported between the two side runners, and means for lowering and raising the third runner in relation to .o

' CLARENCE T. ROGERS.

Witnesses:

THOMAS T. SEELYE, ARTHUR G. DANNELL. 

